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Thursday, July 21, 2016

DOLE eyes creation of one-stop shop for OFWs

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) will establish a one-stop shop where overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) can secure the requirements they need for their jobs abroad.

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said this is in accordance with President Rodrigo Duterte's directive to make it easier for OFWs to avail the services of the government.

"The one-stop shop is part of the efforts of the Department to realize the directives of President Rodrigo R. Duterte to make the services of government agencies accessible to Filipinos who are currently working or planning to work overseas," he said in a statement Wednesday.

Bello did not say when the one-stop shop will be established, but said it will include facilitative services that aim to make the issuance and validation process of documentary requirements easier and more convenient for OFWs, especially for returning migrant workers.

Bello said Filipino workers applying for work overseas should be able to get all the clearances they need, including those required by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the police authorities, and health services, in just one place.

Aside from shortening the time to process their documents, Bello said the one-stop shop will also reduce the expenses of OFWs since the services of concerned government agencies can already be availed of in just one location.

Aside from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), the one-stop shop will also include other government agencies, such as the DFA and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI). —KBK, GMA News